‘There is a certain natural and correct relation between head and spine which, when preserved, guarantees that all the organs shall be in the proper position and functioning harmoniously.’
Alexander discovered that when the relationship between the head, neck and back is working well, the whole body works well. The back becomes naturally lengthened, taking pressure off the joints and allowing deeper breathing. As more space is created in the body, our internal systems work better – circulation, digestion and breathing.
However, we tend to interfere with this natural relationship of head, neck and back. We pull our head back, hunch our shoulders, slump forwards etc. And to make things worse, we often don’t even realise we are doing these things – they have become habitual.
We have developed ways of doing things using either the wrong muscles and/or too much effort of the right muscles. Different muscles are designed to do different things and when we misuse them, they can become tense and prone to injury or they become weakened and can no longer do the job they were designed for.
The next time you sit at your computer to write an email or stand at the kitchen sink to wash the dishes, stop for a moment and consider whether you are holding your breath or using too much effort. Usually we’re thinking of something else rather than being in the present moment. We’re so busy these days – we decide to do something and we jump straight in. We have our habitual neuro-muscular response. The Alexander Technique helps to bring us back to the present moment and to develop a new response that uses the appropriate degree of muscle tension.